Man falls to his death helping elderly neighbour who locked herself out

Tuesday 21 December 2010 09:52 BST

A good Samaritan fell 20 feet to his death after trying to help an elderly neighbour who had locked herself out of her flat, an inquest heard.

Craig Laing, 42, clambered out of his bedroom window to try to step onto Maude Adams's balcony and let her in.

He was seen dangling from a railing before he fell from the second storey of the flat on St Crispin's Estate in Bermondsey, Southwark coroner's court heard.

Mr Laing, who had changed his name to Simba by deed poll, died instantly after hitting his head on a concrete step on June 27.

Mrs Adams, who had lived next to him for 10 years, said Mr Laing "was, and always will be the best neighbour I ever had", while deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats and local MP Simon Hughes called him a "community champion".